With One Eye
by Britedark
Summary: Who is Kaede, and what happened to her after her sister Kikyo died? A series of pieces, based on LiveJournal prompts. #28: Kaede is set to doing all sorts of tasks by her new teacher. Why, she doesn't understand...
1. To Never Know

_**Disclaimer:** This piece is based on 'Inuyasha', owned by Rumiko Takahashi. No copyright infringement intended or implied._

**Author's Note:** Hello, everyone! Thanks for being curious enough to click on this link. This is the start of a new serial, composed of pieces from LiveJournal challengers (primarily). The focus of this serial is Kaede. I've always been fond of the character Kaede, if only because I can identify with older, non-slim people. ;) She's a minor character in the story, obviously put there to provide the explanations about what happened 50 years before the story. Yet she's more important, in a behind the scenes manner, than might be implied by her initial role. Adviser, provider of stew and shelter, go-between the group and the villagers, and perhaps a defender of the group's right to return to the village. But how did she get that way? What happened to the half-blinded girl listening to her sister's last words, that she became the respected priestess who could take on a revived hanyo and a girl from the future with unflustered equanimity? Who is Kaede? Here's a few ideas...

**To Never Know**

_"I'm sorry."_

_"I don't know how."_

_"I can't."_

Kaede didn't know how often she had said those phrases that summer.

She wasn't her sister. She wasn't clever, or powerful, or even beautiful. She was only a girl.

But, she was the closest thing to a miko they had left. So she had had to try.

She had failed. And now they'd given up. She'd overhead the headman talking. A new miko was expected within days.

What would happen her? She was an orphan. The headman and his wife had been caring for her, insisting that she must spend her nights with them, rather than be alone in the hut she'd shared with Kikyo, but that was when they thought she could replace her dead sister. Now that they knew she couldn't, what would they do? Throw her out of the village, at worst? Send her back to the temple where Kikyo had trained, at best? But, even if allowed to train, who would ever want a maimed, ugly miko?

And so that morning, she grabbed the herb-gathering basket that had always been Kikyo's best excuse to get away, and hurried down a path no one else was on. Soon, she was at the former edge of the village, where the burned and broken houses from the spring's attack had been abandoned. She ignored the weed-surrounded ruins, not really thinking of where she was going, until she found herself in front of a red-garbed figure, who would have appeared to be leaning against the rough-barked tree in a pose of deep thought or sleep, where it not for the arrow through his chest.  
_  
Inuyasha._

Kaede halted, staring up at the peaceful face. She remembered the day he had rescued her from a youkai, remembered how he had sneered at the thought of using her as a hostage. She remembered how her sister had--changed--after she had spoken with the hanyo: how she had smiled sometimes, when she thought no one was looking; occasionally even blushed. She remembered how she'd come to suspect that her sister was actually falling in love with Inuyasha, though she'd never asked and Kikyo had never said. She remembered how, in her own heart, she'd pretended that he was the big brother she'd never had.

Tears blurred her vision. "Why?" she whispered. "Why!" Her hands clenched as tears flowed down her cheeks, and then pounded into the unyielding bark next to that stilled body. "Why did you attack the village? Why did you steal the jewel? Who attacked her? Did you? Why? She loved you! She loved you! She died! Why did you do it! Why?"

She slid down to the base of the tree, crying as she had never dared let herself within the village. She cried, knowing that there were no answers to her questions. That there would never be answers, for he was frozen, sealed for all eternity by her sister's spell, body and soul.

She would never know the answers.

She would never understand.

* * *

**Author's Note: **This was posted to the LiveJournal community IY_Themes on September 21, 2009, in response to the theme "Bark". It took first place.


	2. In Her Heart

_**Disclaimer:** This piece is based on 'Inuyasha', owned by Rumiko Takahashi. No copyright infringement intended or implied._

**In Her Heart**

She woke to the distant cries of her name. Scrambling to her feet, she looked around quickly. To her dismay, she saw that it was late, and was astonished and faintly horrified that she had actually fallen asleep in the forest, of all places. And yet, oddly enough, she didn't feel afraid. Placing her palms against the tree's bark, young Kaede thought she could sense a faint, but warm aura coursing through the sacred tree.

Or perhaps it was only her childish and hopeful imagination. A hope that if she proved she had miko powers, they wouldn't turn her out as a mere, useless, orphan girl child. That when the new miko arrived, the headman would arrange to send her to a temple for training. That she wouldn't be turned out, turned away, because she was blind in one-eye; was scarred and disfigured.

If only she could stay! If only she could prove she had the power and ability to be a miko! She didn't want to leave the village where her sister's ashes were buried, where she'd actually made a few friends among the other girls. And where her sister and Inuyasha had--whatever had developed between them.

Where her sister had been--in brief intervals--happy.

Kaede looked at the hanyo, blinking hard against a potential fresh onslaught of tears. One unmoving ear attracted her attention, and she started to reach for it, and then pulled away. She'd never had the temerity to ask to touch his ears, unlike a certain pretty, vivacious, and spoiled five-year old. Her fingers brushed against the red fabric of his sleeve, then daringly touched the stiff, cool, clawed hand.

Ani-ue. I wanted to call you ani-ue.

She pressed both hands against the trunk, and leaned her forehead against it as well, struggling with her grief. She felt so alone--no sister, no family. Not even a fantasy of a heroic, elder brother. She had only herself...

The voices came again, louder. Kaede dug her fingers into bark, and then took a deep breath, and pulled away. It would be silly to run away from the voices, and she wasn't a silly girl.

She walked away from the tree, trying to set her face into the mask her sister had used, hoping her eye wasn't too red. She would go to meet the searchers, not wanting them to realize where she had spent too much of the day. She didn't want them to wonder why she had been to the tree--and Inuyasha. She didn't want them to wonder if she knew things--hidden things--about her sister's death. About the sealed hanyo.

Her sister's secrets--what she knew and guessed about them--would never pass her lips. For the love of her sister, some secrets would remain in her heart, forever untold.

Kikyo's.

And her own.

* * *

**Author's Note:** This was written for the IYFic_Contest community on LiveJournal, for the prompt "Untold Secrets." It was originally published on September 29, 2009.


	3. Her Path

_**Disclaimer:** This piece is based on 'Inuyasha', owned by Rumiko Takahashi. No copyright infringement intended or implied._

**Her Path**

The men burst into the clearing before she could leave.

"Kaede! The headman was so worried when he couldn't find you!"

She refused to wince, despite feeling guilty at having more or less run away, after overhearing about a new miko. "I'll, um, apologize to Yasuo-dono for leaving without telling him," she said. "I--"

"Kami preserve us!" She turned. One of the men was staring, his face white, his hands on his spear shaking. "I thought that thing was dead!"

"My sister did not kill Inuyasha," Kaede said. "She sealed him."

"Sealed?" Voices rose.

"Why didn't she kill it?"

"What if the seal breaks?"

"He'll kill us all in our sleep!"

"We should kill it, now!"

Kaede listened with growing horror as the men worked themselves into a panic. She didn't understand why Kikyo had sealed Inuyasha, and she doubted they could break the seal. But, arrows and spears rose, she ran, and leaped in front of Inuyasha.

"Stop!"

Silence. Kaede stared at them defiantly.

"Out of the way, girl! We're killing that hanyo!"

"You can not," she stated firmly, refusing to cringe under their angry gazes. "He is sealed--forever."

"Girl--"

"Kaede," she corrected, with a sudden sense of surety. "I am Kikyo-sama's sister, and I say she sealed him for good reason. We should leave."

She didn't know what the headman's plan for her was. But, that whatever he wanted, her path was set. She would protect Inuyasha from the villagers, and the villagers from Inuyasha.

Whatever it took.

* * *

**Author's Note:** This was written for the Issekiwa community on LiveJournal, for the prompt "Cringe." It was originally published on October 29, 2009.


	4. The Box

_**Disclaimer:** This piece is based on 'Inuyasha', owned by Rumiko Takahashi. No copyright infringement intended or implied._

**The Box **

She kneeled before the box that held her dead sister's personal items, in the hut that, in a day or two, would no longer belong to her. Kaede stared at the simple, wooden planks, hands clenched, fighting herself to do what she had been avoiding since spring.

Satsuki--the headman's wife--had finally informed her this morning about the planned arrival of a miko to replace Kikyo. "We're not going to abandon you, child," she had said, trying to reassure. "We owe your sister too much for that. If the miko agrees, she may take you on as an apprentice; or if she recommends that you go to a temple, we'll see that you get there."

But before the new miko arrived, the hut where she and Kikyo had lived had to be cleaned out, and anything which Kaede needed or had the right to keep had to be moved. And that meant going through the box...

Satsuki reached a hand towards the box. "No!" exclaimed Kaede, not quite slapping the hand away. "I-I can do it myself!" She placed her hands on the top of the box, but they refused to move. Refused to open the box that contained secrets only she and Kikyo had known.

A sigh came from the woman, after several moments of inaction had passed. "Would you prefer to be alone, Kaede? I know it must be hard for you, to go through your sister's things."

The girl swallowed hard against the knot in her throat. "Please."

Satsuki patted the top of her head before standing up. "Come get me, when you've gone through everything."

It still took time, after Satsuki had left, before Kaede could force her hands to pry the lid of the box back. The first item she saw was a mirror--possibly the only mirror in the village. Rare, expensive: a gift from a glass-maker whose life Kikyo had saved, while she was still in training. Her teacher had insisted that Kikyo keep it, pointing out its usefulness for scrying spells.

Kaede didn't know whether Kikyo had ever used it for that. She could remember only seeing it once since Kikyo had agreed to stay in the village--that night, when she had used a small shell of rouge to color her lips. Pulling the mirror out, Kaede examined her own face. It was ugly, her one eye smudged and reddened; the scarred socket covered with a leather patch. She fought to keep her lips from trembling, tasting bitterness, and pain--would anyone really want to teach her; help a maimed, scarred girl like herself? Even if she did learn what she needed to be a real miko, would anyone really want to trust her skills? Every girl she had seen at the temple had been, at the very least, without obvious scars: most had been pretty.

She was anything but.

Turning the mirror over, Kaede hastily placed it in the basket meant for items that the new miko would receive. She didn't want it. Didn't ever want to see her face in it again.

The next item she pulled out was a rosary. The power Kikyo had imbued into the rosary made her fingers tingle. Kaede remembered her sister talking to herself that night when she had put the rosary together. It had been meant for Inuyasha: from what she remembered, it would have given her sister power over the hanyo.

Why hadn't she used it? wondered Kaede. Would things have been different, if she had? She couldn't imagine that Inuyasha would have appreciated the 'gift.' Would he have left, maybe? Would events have--changed?

Kaede put the rosary into the basket of items she would keep. The spell would only affect Inuyasha; she was certain. The spell sealing him was intended to be forever, but what if something happened? She would keep the rosary, she decided.

Just in case.

A pair of tabi socks, neatly darned, went into the miko's basket. Extra socks were always useful, but they were too big for Kaede. She wriggled her bare toes, and wondered if someone would make new socks for her. Her own, which she'd had since leaving the temple, were more darns than whole fabric, and anyway, had been getting too small last winter. Satsuki had cut down Kikyo's remaining--and well-worn--pair of hakama for Kaede to wear, and had found white material and red strips from somewhere to make the hakui which all mikos wore. And insisted that she no longer go barefoot, providing a pair of straw sandals. That had been months ago, of course, before everyone learned that she didn't know enough to replace Kikyo.

Not that she'd ever be able to replace Kikyo.

A small box of stiff paper contained scrolls which Kikyo had been using to continue Kaede's education. With some reluctance, Kaede put them in the miko's basket. She didn't know enough to make use of the information in the scrolls, not without help, anyway. If the miko couldn't read, and if the headman decided to send her to a temple, she could probably get them back.

A length of soft, subtly patterned, but brilliant green silk next came out of the box. Kaede leaned back, bemused, as she examined it. She knew what it was, though she'd forgotten about it until this moment.  
_  
Youkai spider-silk._

Kaede bit her lip against a swelter of emotions, including both sadness and a surge of amusement and contempt. She remembered that incident, way back when they had just left the temple. That merchant had been so stupid! And greedy! And treacherous! She knew that Kikyo had had her doubts over that incident, but Kaede had none. That man had deserved worse than what had happened to him.

She folded the length and put it in her basket. She didn't think she wanted to explain to a strange miko just what that piece of silk was--and the youki had long since been purified from it. She would probably never do anything with the silk, but it was a reminder of the good times, when it had just been herself, Kikyo, and the road...

Several items--including a bag of loose beads, and a pair of fans used in some ceremonies--went directly into the miko's basket. Then Kaede pulled out the largest remaining item, which was wrapped in a covering of thin, unbleached cotton. Her fingers trembled, and her throat locked as she pulled the wrap away to reveal the heavily embroidered hakui she had last seen Kikyo wearing the spring before.

She remembered. Remembered how beautiful Kikyo had appeared that day, as she performed the intricate and powerful dance to cleanse and heal the fields devastated by a horde of ice youkai. She had been so beautiful: radiant with the power and beauty and grace, backed up with the throbbing taiko drums and the sacred incense. Kaede had been able to 'see' the ribbons and streams of spiritual and kami powers mingling and rolling over the fields as her sister danced.

And when she had seen her sister run--_run!_--to Inuyasha's side, after he had fallen from his hiding spot, inadvertently purified, Kaede had known--whether anyone else did or not--that Kikyo truly cared about the hanyo.

And now they were gone. Both. One dead, burned to ash and buried. One sealed forever.

All because of that horrible jewel. If only Kikyo had never been given that Shikon no Tama to purify!

Kaede gritted her teeth against tears. No. She wouldn't cry! She'd cried enough yesterday, cried herself to sleep too often. She couldn't cry, not now, not when Satsuki would be coming back and would see, not when anyone might step into the hut, because it wasn't really hers anymore. She shouldn't be still mourning, anyway. Shouldn't still be crying, a season after her sister had died. Life went on; she'd reminded herself repeatedly. Kikyo wouldn't want her to keep crying, would she?

_Actually, she might._

The girl stared down at the robe, as she remembered the last time she had been hurting. After her mother had died in childbirth, her father had sent her to Kikyo, who was in training at a temple in a town several weeks' travel away. She could remember how cold and afraid she'd been on that unending trip with people she didn't know; how scared she'd been to let any tears out, lest they slap her; or worse, abandon her. When she'd finally set eyes on Kikyo, she'd been terrified that her sister--who was so much taller than she'd remembered--would turn away from her. But that moment when Kikyo had knelt and held out her arms to her; that moment when she'd lunged forward in response, finding the comfort, and love she so desperately needed--

How many nights, in private, had they cried together? How many nights had Kikyo held her and sung whispered melodies? How often she had assured the five-year-old that tears of grief were right and proper, that tears were the way a soul lightened its burdens.

Lightened.

Kaede scrubbed a palm against her wet cheeks, not at all sure, presently, if she agreed with her sister. Her soul didn't feel any lighter, not this time. She just felt so tired, and heavy, and lonely. Last time, at least, she'd had her sister. Now, she didn't have anyone.

She pulled the cloth back over the robe, and--half-defiantly--placed it in her basket. Some would argue that it should go to the new miko, who, after all, would probably have a near-term use for it, if she decided the fall harvests needed extra blessing or protection, and if she didn't have a robe to match it. But, she didn't want to give it up--it was Kikyo's, and Kaede had helped make it. Someday, somehow, orphan girl, half-blind, and all, she would follow Kikyo's path, and she would wear the robe herself, with Kikyo's blessing!

Scrubbing at her face again, Kaede rose up on her knees to check the bottom of the box. Small things, mostly, were left. She pulled out a set of papers, and a flat box that contained brushes and a block of ink, and put them in the other basket without hesitation. They were items inherited from the previous tenant of the hut. Kikyo's strength had never been in written spells: what paper had been used, was for Kaede's learning. A packet of needles and several small balls of thread: Kaede had her own sewing kit residing in the headman's house. The new miko could have them if she wanted; if not, some girl in the village would find use for them. A cloth bag with a few coins: that went in her basket.

The box was empty. Kaede stared down into it, and eventually made herself close it, feeling as empty as that container. Tucking the coins a bit further down in her basket, the girl stood up and looked around.

The hut looked--and felt--unused. Only ash and clinkers in the fire-pit, empty containers stacked along with a pair of dividers along one wall. Dirt and dust and bits of dried herbs on the floor and in various bowls haphazardly collected along the opposite wall--debris from her various spell crafting, as inadequate as the rest of her efforts.

Scrubbing her face once more to make sure it was dry, Kaede picked up her basket and walked to the entrance. Sliding on her sandals, she left the hut she had shared with her sister, the hut she had--for a while--called home.

It was home no longer. Kikyo no longer resided in the walls, and all Kaede had her sister was a small basket--and memories.

* * *

**Author's Note:** This piece was written for the challenge 203 at the Inuyasha Fanfiction contest on LiveJournal. It was originally published November 24, 2009.


	5. Honor

_**Disclaimer:** This piece is based on 'Inuyasha', owned by Rumiko Takahashi. No copyright infringement intended or implied._

**Honor**

The bargaining over her dried herbs was fierce. Kaede paid no attention to anything but the intense discussion between peddler and Satsuki, until someone touched her shoulder. With a yelp of surprise, she jumped and whirled.

The headman Yasuo smiled ruefully. "Apologies, Kaede-chan--I didn't mean to startle you. The new miko has just arrived. If you'll trust Satsuki-san to finish the bargaining, I'll take you to meet her."

For a moment, Kaede froze. The moment she'd been dreading for days, since she'd first overheard his plans, had finally arrived. One part of her wanted to run away and hide, to pretend that the miko didn't--wouldn't--exist.

Instead, she gave Yasuo her very politest bow.

"Thank-you, Yasuo-dono," she said formally. "I am honored that you will introduce this one to the miko-sama."

To her utter surprise, he bowed to her in return. "It is you who have honored us, and your sister, in trying so hard to fill Kikyo-sama's sandals, this summer." Gently, he touched her head. "Never believe that you are a failure, Kaede-sama."

Shock swamped her, followed by the sense of a weight lifting away. Kaede breathed deeply; then nodded.

"I'm ready."

* * *

**Author's Note:** This was written for the iy_themes community on LiveJournal, for the theme "Away." It was originally published on December 1, 2009.


	6. The New Miko

_**Disclaimer:** This piece is based on 'Inuyasha', owned by Rumiko Takahashi. No copyright infringement intended or implied._

**The New Miko**

Young Kaede insisted to herself that she was ready to meet the new miko. Nevertheless, as the headman led the way to the hut, she found her thoughts chasing around in her head.

_Oh, please! Please, please, please! Please let the miko be nice! I don't want someone who's going to look at me and feel sorry for me because I've only one eye, or thinks I'm horrid-looking or disgusting. Someone--someone who likes kids and likes teaching kids, and won't expect me to be really good at things, and pretty, just because sister was. Someone who'll like me. Oh, please, please, please!  
_  
Yasuo rapped on the door frame. "Miko-sama? I've brought your student with me? May I come in an introduce her?"

"What--? Oh, yes. Come in, Yasuo-dono."

Kaede felt a chill running up her spine. That voice was--familiar.

Holding back the bamboo drape, the headman gestured Kaede to precede him into what had been her sister's hut. Trying not to clench her fists or otherwise show nervousness, Kaede stepped inside, halting before the wooden platform. The miko was in the back corner, getting to her feet in the midst of several baskets. From behind, Kaede observed that she was taller than Kikyo, with hair just as long and black, and just as slender.

She turned, and Kaede felt her heart plummet. She was certain she knew the young, beautiful woman. She couldn't think of the name, but she was certain of it.

"You--look familiar," said the miko, frowning as she stared at Kaede.

"Sayuri-sama, may I introduce Kaede-chan? She is the sister of Kikyo-sama, who was killed this spring."

Sayuri? Oh, no. No, no.

This was awful!

Sayuri _hated_ Kikyo!

Oh, no!

* * *

**Author's Note:** This piece was written for the LiveJournal community IY_Themes, for the "Please" theme. It was originally published on January 26, 2010.


	7. Unexpected

_**Disclaimer:** This piece is based on 'Inuyasha', owned by Rumiko Takahashi. No copyright infringement intended or implied._

**Unexpected**

Sayuri's hands were long and slender. One flashed up to her lips as she stared at Kaede, eyes widening. "Kaede?" Her eyes moved to stare at the headman, "Kikyo--is--Kikyo's the one who is--dead?"

Yasuo blinked, surprised. He placed his hand--large, bony, and square, roughened with work but still flexible enough to hold a brush--on Kaede's shoulder. "You weren't informed, Sayuri-sama?"

White-faced, the miko shook her head, eyes going back to Kaede. "I arrived at the temple, and the master told me that I was being sent here, to replace a dead miko. But, he didn't tell me ..." Abruptly, she crossed the hut. Kneeling, she grasped Kaede's upper arms. "It must have been so awful! Are you all right?"

Kaede tried not to shrink back. Though her first reaction was to push the woman away, she kept her small, nail-bitten hands, calloused from picking and gathering plants, and her practice with the bow, clenched at her sides. "I'm--fine."

"Are you sure, Kaede?" Sayuri reached up to touch Kaede's face. "Your eye..."

Kaede jerked away. "I'm fine!"

"Kaede." Yasuo's voice was low, disapproving.

Sayuri stood and bowed. "Forgive my rudeness, Yasuo-dono, Kaede-kun. I was not--a friend--of Kikyo's; my familiarity was--unwarranted." She returned her attention to the girl. "I truly am sorry to learn of Kikyo's death, Kaede. I will try my best for you: I hope we can at least be friends."

Kaede stared up at her, uncertain and wary. But, she knew what was expected, and nodded.

* * *

**Author's Note:** This drabble was written for the Inuyasha FanFiction Contest community on LiveJournal, for the prompt "Hands". It was originally published on March 8, 2010.


	8. Kaede's Choice

_**Disclaimer:**__ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

**Kaede's Choice**

The uncomfortable silence was broken by the bell that hung from the village's watchtower. Kaede stiffened as she recognized the double-beat, terror freezing where she stood. Her greatest fear, since Kikyo's death, had been to hear that alarm. Every night, she had prayed that the kami would be kind, and would keep the horror from appearing: each day, her prayer had been answered.

Until now.

"An alarm—headman—"

"Youkai attack," came Yasuo's voice. "Miko-sama, I hope you can help—"

"Of course." Red and white swirled in Kaede's vision, and she was suddenly able to breathe, as realization banished the terror.

It wasn't her responsibility.

The village had a real miko, again.

Kaede saw Sayuri snatch a naginata from the wall, leaving a more familiar weapon. "You'll need the bow and arrows," she said.

Black eyes flashed a glare in her direction. "I fight my way, little girl—not Kikyo's," Sayuri snarled. "Headman, get her out of here and with the other children. I don't need distractions."

Kaede stiffened, flushing, but before she could say anything, Yasuo had her upper arm in his grip. She bit her lip as he squeezed her arm warningly, and as Sayuri toed on her sandals and ran out of the hut. She was not a little girl. She'd been doing her best to be a miko all summer, and had practiced with her bow every day. She'd gotten a lot stronger, and more accurate. She still didn't have much power, but she could hit what she aimed at, and who did Sayuri think she was, to call her a "little girl"?

Yasuo pulled her out of the hut, then pushed her ahead of him, heading towards his house, which, as one of the sturdiest buildings in the village, second only to the granary, would shelter the children and elderly during the attack. Given that her own weaponry was in that house, Kaede didn't resist the push, starting to lengthen her stride, her half-formed thought to grab her bow and quiver and slip out to back up the miko—which, after all, was what she was supposed to do.

But, then, she looked up, and froze again. High up in the air, a black, roiling mass, sparking with gold, and silver, and deepest, lurid purple was heading straight towards the village. It wasn't anywhere close to the size of the giant swarm that had attacked only a few days before Kikyo's death. But, memories were triggered. She remembered the massive attack, how they had run that last distance to the village—far too late to even think of leaving Kikyo to run for shelter. She remembered her fear—and her determination to help. She remembered the darkness, the oppressive jyaki, remembered how much effort it took just to raise her small weapon. A few sparks had flickered from her fired arrow, and it actually hit her target. It didn't purify the youkai, but it did injure it, sending it off course. She had turned, looking for another target, and saw the youkai stooping behind her sister. Crying a warning, she had shot as quickly as she could. She missed.

The youkai did not.

She remembered the pain in her face as she tried—and failed—to dodge the plunging youkai. She had been slammed to the ground, crying out in pain, seeing her death in the grinning, fanged, unhuman skull. For that moment—that infinitely long moment—the only thing that had existed in her world had been pain and terror and death.

Kaede shook, her hands clasping over her eye-patch. She didn't know she whimpered. She didn't hear the headman speak. Only when someone swung her up in his arms, to rest her on his hip, did she react, flinging her arms around the man, clinging to him with all her strength, crying.

She was only a girl. Only a terrified little girl.

... ... ... ...

Kaede kept her head down, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. She prodded the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks, her stomach twisting and her throat tight with misery.

She felt so ashamed. She was supposed to be a miko, or at least, a miko-in-training. But she had panicked. She should have at least been able to join the archers defending the building, but, instead, she had cowered inside the building, unable to do anything except shake. The powerful pulse of spiritual energy had broken through her terror, but the latter emotion had rapidly been replaced by shame. When the rest of the children and the elders had left the building, she had moved only as far as the corner where her own small box of mementoes and change of clothes lay. She would have been there still, had not the headman's wife forced her to join the family for supper.

She had failed her sister's memory. Shamed her sister's memory. Sayuri would sneer at her, and why not? She was a coward. A failure.

Cloth rustled as someone sat beside her. "Kaede?"

She tensed. Setting bowl and chopsticks down, she fisted her hands against her thighs, refusing to look at the miko. A hand touched her head, and she tried to shrink away without moving. She heard Sayuri sigh.

"Kaede, I think we need to talk. Come with me. Please?"

No, no, and no! Kaede stared at the floor, refusing to move, refusing to react, wanting nothing but for everything, for Sayuri and the whole horrible day to go away.

"Kaede." The sharp, angered voice belonged to the headman. "Sayuri-sama has agreed to take responsibility for you and teach you. You owe her obedience—now do what she says."

Fresh shame bubbled up in the girl's heart. Still not looking at anyone, Kaede stood up, and bowed in the general direction of the Yasuo's voice. Silently, shoulders hunched and hands fisted, head lowered, she followed the miko.

They walked in silence through the village, their path lit by the waxing moon. Kaede tried hard not to feel anything, but her emotions shrieked at her. If she'd had anywhere to run, somewhere to hide, she might have tried. But there was nowhere. There was only shame, and grief. If only the last half year hadn't happened. If only her sister were still alive. She wanted to much to see Kikyo, to feel her arms around her, to feel safe.

To apologize, for being a failure.

They stopped in the middle of a bridge. Kaede felt more than saw Sayuri lean against the railing, and did hear her sigh. Kaede stared a rail and water, stiff and still. Waiting for the blow to fall. Waiting for the miko to scorn her, to tell her that she wasn't worth teaching. Wasn't worth—anything.

"I didn't want to be a miko."

The statement was so startling that Kaede momentarily forgot how miserable she was feeling. Her head shot up, and she stared at the young woman leaning over the railing. "Huh? Why wouldn't you want to be a miko? Everyone said you were Hakao-san's favorite student, before Kikyo arrived!"

"Favorite? I don't know about that, though I was his most powerful student, until your sister." Sayuri sighed. "I admit. I was jealous. The younger girls were suddenly paying more attention to her, than to me, and her skill at archery looked so—effortless. And ... well, I suppose I resented her partly, because she was from some poor village, and I was the daughter of a samurai."

Kaede blinked. "What does that have to do with not wanting to be a miko?"

Sayuri snorted. "I wanted to be a samurai myself—like my father and brothers. And my father's sister. She taught me the naginata, when I was a little girl, younger than you. I would be famous: I would bring honor and wealth to my family."

Puzzled, Kaede couldn't resist asking, "So why didn't you? Become a samurai?"

A moment of silence. "Our lord learned I had miko powers. He ordered my father to take me to the temple. Father had no choice, of course."

Kaede shifted her weight, unable to see where the conversation was going. But, she knew where it had to lead, and, suddenly, she couldn't stand to wait any longer. "What does this have to do with telling me you're not going to teach me? You aren't, aren't you?"

"What?" Sayuri spun, straightening. "What are you talking about, Kaede-chan?"

Kaede looked away, shoulders hunching. "You're going to tell me I can't be a miko. I'm a coward. Worthless. I shame sister's memory. I don't—I don't deserve to be a miko."

Silence. Kaede turned her back, holding herself, trying not to cry. She wouldn't. She couldn't.

But, hot tears slid down her face, despite her will.

Hands touched her shoulders, and made her turn around. "Kaede, look at me." When she refused to look up, a finger under her chin forced her to look up. "Kaede, do you want to be a miko?"

"I-I can't!" Kaede's vision swam, clouded by her tears. "I-I'm a failure; I can't be!"

"That isn't what I asked, little one. What do you want to be? Yasuo-dono and Satsuki told me that they're willing to adopt you, if that's what you want. They'll make sure you find a husband, and you can still work with Amaya-san to learn herbal lore and midwifery. If that's what you want. It's your choice, Kaede."

"But why would you want to teach me? You hated Kikyo, and, and I'm a I'm a—"

A finger closed her mouth. "'Hate' is too strong a word, for my feelings about your sister. I will teach you, because I have given my word."

Kaede pulled away. "But—"

"We'll discuss what happened today later, Kaede. For now, give me your answer. Do you want to be a miko?"

How could she be, if she were going to panic and freeze every time a youkai swarm appeared? But, what she wanted ... what she wanted, if only she could—

Her voice barely got past the knot in her throat. "I want to be like my sister. I want—I want to be a miko."

* * *

**Author's Note:** This piece was written for the prompt "Up In The Air", for the "Inuyasha Fanfic Contest" LiveJournal community. It was originally posted on July 27, 2010. It won the contest.


	9. Kimonos for Kaede

_**Disclaimer:**__ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

**Kimonos For Kaede**

Kaede did not expect to be ordered to help Amaya with the injured, rather than accompanying Sayuri as she trekked around the village, replacing ward spells and purifying any traces of jyaki left from the attack. Angry and sullen, she changed out of Kikyo's old outfit that the women had cut down to fit her, donning the worn, now too-small yukata that had been her normal attire before Kikyo's death.

Sayuri said nothing about her change of clothes. Said nothing at all, really, as she wearily returned in the evening, to eat and fall asleep almost immediately, and then be up and away before dawn.

Then, the caravan arrived. It was headed for Edo, but it always stopped in the village. Amaya smiled and tossed her a small coin, telling her to get something for herself. Kaede took the coin, but found herself on the fringes of the crowd, a reluctant observer of the chattering, laughing throng. She didn't belong, she felt. Who would sell anything to her? She was only a maimed, orphan girl, ignored even by the one who had said she would teach her...

"There you are!" A hand grabbed hers, and dragged her along before she could react. She tried to resist Sayuri's pull, but the woman's calloused grip was unrelenting. In no time, Kaede found herself next to a ground cloth covered by lengths of gaily printed material. "Stay put!"

Bewildered, Kaede silently obeyed, watching as the miko worked her way from one end of the display to the other, unfolding this length or that, giving Kaede frequent, inscrutable glances. Coins appeared in Sayuri's hand and were handed over, and, abruptly, Kaede found herself burdened with two lengths of material, one noticeably thicker than the other. "What?"

Sharp, black eyes looked at her. "You need new clothes, Kaede—I'll not have you looking like a beggar child."

Kaede flushed. "I'm not—"

A finger closed her mouth for her. Sayuri glared a moment, and then, her face softened. "I didn't mean an insult, Kaede. You've worked hard, you've grown—you deserve new clothes. And, since you're not ready to be a miko, I tried to find something that would look nice on you—you do like the material, don't you?

Kaede looked down at the cloth in her arms. The lighter length was a crisp green, block-printed with butterfly shapes in yellow. The heavier length was a golden-brown, not dissimilar in color from what she was wearing, but a deeper, more intense hue, and decorated in a dark red motif of maple leaves. "I—guess—"

"Good!" Sayuri straightened. "Let's go see what else they have!"

And Kaede followed.

* * *

**Author's Note: **This piece was written for the iy_themes community on LiveJournal, for the prompt "Cloth". It was originally published (in a shorter version) on September 3, 2010. It tied for third. (This version published 9/12/2010.)


	10. Gossips

_**Disclaimer:**__ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

**Gossips**

Their errand was to deliver supper to the miko and her apprentice, but the obvious motivation was to snoop. Sitting on the far side of the fire pit, Kaede fumed silently as she watched the young women's eyes flick around the hut, inevitably falling on the neatly folded lengths of just-purchased material.

"That was so nice, Sayuri-sama, buying that cloth," said Cho—the headman's youngest daughter, belatedly setting down her tray, eyes sliding sideways to smirk at Kaede. "That merchant is the one father always buys from."

"I wish my parents would buy me something that nice," sighed the other, relinquishing a small crock of pickles. "Father is _so_ cheap."

Kaede kept from snorting, knowing perfectly well that while Maki had little success bullying her father into giving her as much as she wanted, she still had more clothing than almost every other young woman her age.

"She is so fortunate to have someone who can really—take care of her, and be so generous" Cho added. "Father has wanted to do right by little Kaede, but all the damage this last spring and summer, because some people thought she could somehow take her sister's place, after Kikyo was killed by that hanyo..."

Kaede tensed. Most of the elder villagers had accepted her limited abilities and never spoken with her failures. But, she had heard plenty of whispered sneers from the younger people, particularly those who had never been friends to her sister—

"It is a disgrace, to allow the sister of a miko, who will be a miko herself, to dress in near-rags." Both of the older girls, and Kaede, jumped and stared at Sayuri. The miko's voice was as cool and precise as Kikyo's had ever been, but laced with the tonality of a superior addressing a vast inferior. Though kneeling on a pad that she had brought with her, Sayuri managed to look down her nose at the two women standing. "Inform Satsuki-dono that her gift is appreciated."

The two hastily left. Kaede sat tensely, vividly reminded of the sharp-tongued, condescending Sayuri from the temple, apprehensive that the samurai's daughter would turn that disdain on her.

To her surprise, Sayuri's expression shifted from a chill aloofness, to a snarl of rage. "I hate gossips!" she spat, in a low voice. Blazing, black eyes stared at her. "I hope you didn't listen to them..."

Kaede flushed, and her eyes burned. Looking away, trying not to cry, she shot back, "Since when do you hate gossips? You were the biggest gossip at the temple!"

She felt, rather than saw the glare. "And if I said that Kikyo was the biggest prude at the temple that would be just as correct," the miko snapped.

Kaede tightened her fists in the silence, which seemed to stretch forever, until Sayuri sighed.

"I apologize, Kaede-chan. That was beneath me." From the corner of her eye, Kaede saw Sayuri rubbing her temples. "And whatever I was then, I do not like gossip now."

Kaede chewed on her lip, then swallowed her sense of hurt. "Okay."

She looked back, as the tray scraped across the floor. "Eat what you want, Kaede," said Sayuri, standing up, looking pale, her forehead scrunched in pain. "I'm going to lie down for a while."

"I'll make some willow bark tea," Kaede offered.

Sayuri gave her a startled, then grateful look. "Thank-you, Kaede-chan."

* * *

**Author's Note: **This is the longer version of a piece submitted to the LiveJournal community, "Inuyasha's Unsung Heroes." (iy_unsung_heroes). It was originally published on September 15, 2010. (Last edit: 9/19/10)


	11. Fed Up

_**Disclaimer:**__ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

**Fed Up**

Kaede was fed up.

She liked her new clothes. She truly did. But, she had spent most of the last two days in the company of Satsuki and her friends, while they chattered and put together her new clothes from the fabric Sayuri had bought, and insisted on adding all sorts of extra bits to the clothing that were totally unnecessary, all the while asking Kaede questions about the miko (most of which she couldn't answer), or telling Kaede how lucky she was that Sayuri-sama was so willing to take such an interest in her.

Satsuki and the other women were very nice, but they were _old_, and they kept treating her like a little _girl_, not someone who was in training to be a miko (and who had been the only thing the village had in the way of a miko for months, on top of it!)

She'd wanted to scream.

And, all the while, Sayuri had said nothing about training, since that night after the swarm attack. No, she simply told Kaede to go stay with Satsuki, or Amaya the herbalist, while she took off with naginata and various bags of stuff, usually accompanied by one, or more of the men, and she stayed out until almost dark. When she came back, she ate, and immediately went to sleep, claiming exhaustion.

And Kaede wasn't even being allowed to cook! She was perfectly capable of cooking—well, simple stuff, like plain rice, or millet—but Satsuki had simply petted on the head, and told her that the village women were just making sure the new miko felt welcome. She hated being petted!

Enough was enough.

Kaede sat behind the fire pit, arms crossed, waiting, while a pot of stew simmered. She finally heard footsteps approach. Sayuri entered, carrying her naginata. Slipping off her sandals, she padded across the small room, setting the weapon against the wall. Pulling off the ribbon holding her hair, she dropped it on top of her clothes chest, and then moved over to the shelves holding the hut's modest set of dishes. Bowls and chopsticks went onto a platter, along with a long-handled serving spoon. Bringing the utensils to the square fire-pit, Sayuri knelt, picked up bowl and serving spoon, and reached out to dip up some of the stew. Only then, did she finally seem to take notice of girl sitting across the fire.

She blinked. "Kaede? Is something wrong?"

Kaede glared at her, hands on her arms tightening. "I'm tired of doing nothing," she stated. "I'm tired of being sent off to Amaya or Satsuki, I'm tired of being petted and told how lucky I am. You said you were going to teach me! But, you never take me with you! You haven't done anything! Kikyo took me with her all the time! I thought you were going to teach me!"

"I am," said Sayuri, staring at her, looking taken aback. "I plan to teach you."

"Then, why aren't you doing it?" demanded Kaede. "I'm tired of sitting around and listening to old women gossip!"

That statement earned a brief twitch at the corner of Sayuri's mouth. The miko hesitated a moment, then tapped the spoon against the top of the pot to clean it, and placed spoon and the bowl back on the platter. Leaning back, she placed her hands on her thighs.

"Kaede," she said after a few moments, "I'm not trying to neglect your training. But, talking with Yasuo-dono, it appears that my arrival has stirred up the youkai in the area. I've been spending most of the time renewing the warding and protection spells about the village—but I'm not as powerful as Kikyo was: it takes me more time and effort. And I've been attacked—repeatedly. Until I've finished renewing the spells; until things settle down, I don't really have the time to teach you. And I thought it would be safer, to leave you here in the village."

"But, I could help you!"

"How?"

Kaede opened her mouth, and found herself searching for words. "Uh—I-I-I could watch your back, when youkai attack! I've been practicing all summer, with my bow!"

"How accurate are you? Can you shoot out past my barrier? Will your arrow kill the youkai it hits?"

"Uh..."

"I appreciate your wanting to help, Kaede—truly, I do," added Sayuri quickly. "But Yasuo-dono told me how you lost your eye. I don't want to risk getting you hurt again, not when I don't know how well you can protect yourself, when I don't know how much you know, or can do. I don't think it will take me much longer to finish the spells—maybe another two days. I promise, once I'm finished, we'll sit down and work out what I need to teach you. Until then—can you please be patient a little big longer, Kaede?"

"But, there has to be something I can do now!" Kaede's hands were now down on her thighs, but tightly clenched.

Sayuri closed her eyes, her face looking pinched, or as if she were developing another headache. "Kaede..." she said after a long hesitation, then paused again. "Kaede." She opened her eyes. "Tell me what you can and want to do."

"Huh?"

"How can you help me that will not require leaving the village, or potentially putting yourself in danger?" When Kaede gave her a somewhat dumbfounded look, Sayuri gave a brittle smile, then continued. "You don't have to tell me right away. In the morning, tell me what you think are the best tasks for you: if they sound reasonable, I'll agree, and I'll inform Satsuki-dono. All right?"

Kaede still looked taken aback, but after a moment, she nodded. "I guess..."

"Good. Now, it's time for supper." Sayuri returned her attention to the stew.

Kaede said not another word, all evening.

* * *

**Author's Note:** This piece was written for the prompt "Doing Nothing", for the Inuyasha FanFiction Contest community on LiveJournal. It was originally published on September 21, 2010. It placed third.


	12. Memories Held

_**Disclaimer:**__ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

**Memories Held**

Kaede curled up on her side, snuggled under the lighter of her two new kimonos, unable to sleep. Thoughts kept churning in her mind, refusing to slow down. She needed to find an answer to Sayuri's challenge, but what? She tried to think of ideas. But they refused to come. There were only the memories, storming through her brain. Kikyo, helping her hold the bow straight, showing her how to put power into the arrows. Kikyo smiling, when Kaede decided that she wanted her hair put up like hers, and agreeing. Kikyo laughing, burying her face in the flowers the children had gathered for her, before giving the bouquet to Kaede with her special smile which was just for her sister, with the whisper that she knew Kaede would find just the right container to display the flowers so everyone could see.

She remembered Kikyo fierce and resolute, refusing to back down. She remembered Kikyo being angry, at seeing injustice done. She remembered Kikyo being gentle, soothing the sick, the injured, the fearful. She remembered Kikyo being strong, refusing to admit defeat, rallying others under attack.

And she remembered Kikyo holding her. Hugging her, crying with her, comforting her, assuring her. _I won't let them take you. We are sisters. Sisters, forever. I promise._

"Kaede-chan? Is something wrong?"

She stiffened at the voice breaking the river of memory. "I'm fine," she muttered, pulling the cover over her face.

"You're crying."

"I'm not!" A hand rubbed a wet cheek.

A larger hand briefly touched her hair. "It's all right to cry, Kaede. I won't mind. Remember? Tears lighten the soul's burden."

A strangled whimper escaped. "Sister—sister said that. You—you—"

"We were taught in the same temple." Amusement rippled through the voice.

Kaede tried to pull herself into a tighter ball, feeling mocked. No, she wasn't going to cry! She'd done her crying! Sister was gone, and she was alone, and she didn't need anyone or need any tears.

She felt Sayuri laying down behind her, and tensed against a touch. None came. Only the voice in the dark, a soft murmur. "Tell me about Kikyo, little one? I knew her only as a rival, a competitor. You were her sister. She loved you enough, to risk getting expelled from the temple, to keep you. What was she like?"

Eye ached, throat burned, fists clenched, she fought the urge to shriek, to scream, fought the urge to turn and throw herself into the comfort she sensed being offered. No!

She wouldn't.

She wouldn't.

A sigh. "I'm here for you, Kaede-chan."

No!

"When you're ready."

Never.

* * *

**Author's Note:** This piece was written for the prompt "Brainstorm", for the LiveJournal community Inuyasha's Unsung Heroes (iy_unsung_heros). It was originally published in a shorter form (prompt was 300 words or less), on September 22, 2010. It placed second.


	13. Tea

_**Disclaimer:**__ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

**Tea**

She wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep, wake up, and discover that the last half year had been nothing more than a very bad dream.

Any desire to return to sleep, however, was defeated by the sun pouring in through the window, and the brisk rasping of a bamboo whisk against the side of a ceramic cup.

Kaede sat up, shoulders hunched, feeling disheveled and put-upon. Reluctantly, she turned around to face the firepit, mentally bracing herself for either a too-cheery or too-sympathetic 'good morning' from Suriya. What she got, instead, was a glance and smile from the headman's wife. She blinked. What was Satsuki doing here, and why was she making tea?

"Come sit by me, Kaede-chan," she said, looking back down at her work. "I want your opinion on this new mix." Kaede obeyed slowly. "Amaya says you have a good nose and tongue. Teas are my specialty, you know, and I'm always happy trying something new, even if it doesn't work well."

"Where's Suriya?"

Satsuki sniffed her brew, and took a tiny sip before answering. "Southwest, working on more ward spells. She said to let you sleep."

Kaede started to bristle, but the slightly plump woman gave her no chance to interrupt. "Suriya said you need something to do, to help her and the village, until she has time to teach you. So, what would you like to do?"

"I…" Kaede stared at the fire, as lost for ideas as she'd been the night before. What was she good at, after all? She was only a little girl…

"Mother never understood why I would bother trying to make anything besides plain tea," Satsuki said cheerfully, as Kaede sat with frozen mind. "But I enjoyed trying different flavors. I didn't care if no one else wanted to try my teas—I was doing what pleased me." She poured some of her mixture into a smaller cup, and handed it to Kaede, her black eyes dancing. "So, little one, what do you do, that pleases you?"

Kaede stared at the dark liquid, breathing in the complex smell. Her mind still felt blank, yet a whisper came from her lips: "I always wanted to make Kikyo smile."

* * *

**Author's Note:** The shorter form of this piece was published on April 5, 2010, to the Inuyasha FanFic Contest community, for the prompt "Specialty." It took first place.


	14. A New Chance

**_Disclaimer:_**_ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

**A New Chance**

_"I always wanted to make Kikyo smile."_

Kaede tried not to cringe at her words. What must Satsuki-dono think?

"Try the tea," came the eventual reaction. Kaede stared at the cup in her hands. She didn't really want it, but obediently took a sip. Her nose wrinkled. "Too much lemon grass," she pronounced, then tried not to cringe again.

"Ah?" Satsuki sounded amused, if anything. "I found it just right, but that's me. You don't need to finish."

Contrariwise, Kaede took a larger sip. It wasn't _horrible…_

"I understand you knew Suriya when your sister was training at the temple," said the headwoman. "You were five? Six?"

"Five." Kaede glowered at the tea, remembering some of the incidents. "She _hated_ Kikyo," she muttered.

"She admitted that she was jealous of your sister's gifts, and lost her temper a few times. She said that her experiences taught her how unfair she'd been, to your sister."

_Who cared?_ Kaede thought, but didn't say.

"It can be hard to get past first memories of another, especially one who was unfriendly to a relative," mused Satsuki. "But, if Suriya were someone you hadn't met before, what do you think you'd feel about her?"

Kaede shifted her weight, uncomfortable. She didn't _want_ to consider that.

Her gaze fell on the green sleeve of her new yukata. Her discomfort increased. "She… didn't have to buy me new clothes…"

"No, she didn't. I only planned to cut down a discarded robe, though Yasuo would have bought new, had I asked."

Kaede hunched her shoulders. She chewed her lip. "The clothes … are nice," she admitted.

A hand stroked her unruly hair. "That's a start, Kaede-kun. Just try to give her a new chance?"

Kaede pouted to herself, then sighed, telling herself not to be childish. She nodded.

* * *

**Author's Note:** This piece was written for the LiveJournal Community I-B-4-Y, for the prompt "Experience teaches only the teachable." It was originally posted on July 1st, 2011. (7/19/11)


	15. Orange

**__****Disclaimer:**_ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied. _

* * *

**Orange**

Kaede heaved a sigh as she checked the stew again. At least, she had done something today, even if it were only re-sewing her old kimono for some other girl to use, and making the stew. Both under the close eye of Satsuki, but the head woman had been nice, and didn't make her feel stupid.

Suriya entered the hut, flashing Kaede a smile. "Satsuki-dono told me you were making supper tonight—it smells wonderful. And look—Hajime gave me an orange. We'll share it after the meal how does that sound?"

Kaede's effort to control her reaction failed: she adored oranges, only having had part of an orange maybe three times in her entire life. She also detested the headman's son with every ounce of her loyal heart. "Hajime's bad," she declared. "He got real mean and nasty after Kikyo-ane-sama refused his offer to marry her."

Suriya's expression sobered. "I've heard about that, Kaede," she said. Removing the lid from the pot, Suriya took a long sniff, before looking back. "But, I still want to help him, if I can. I know how it feels to lose a dream."

Kaede looked away, not wanting to talk about him. Suriya served the stew, and they ate in silence. After, Suriya peeled the orange and gave half to the girl. Kaede was rather surprised to see Suriya match her own graceless finger-licking to retrieve every bit of flavor. Nevertheless, Kaede couldn't quite keep herself from saying,

"I bet you had oranges a lot, growing up."

Suriya shot her an admonishing gaze. Kaede flushed and looked away. "No. Father rarely spent money on so-called 'fripperies'. We were—well, not wealthy compared to most of the other samurai families."

Kaede refused to admit any curiosity, but, after a silence, stiffly apologized.

* * *

**Author's Note:** This piece was written for the LiveJournal community Inuyasha's Unsung Heroes, for the prompt 'Control.' It was originally posted on July 19, 2011. It won first place. (10/5/2011)


	16. Missteps

**__****Disclaimer:**_ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied. _

* * *

**Missteps**

Suriya raised her arms and stretched. "You don't look tired," Kaede observed.

The miko glanced at her, smiling slightly. "I'm not. There was less to do today than I thought."

Kaede gave her a meaningful glance. "Does that mean you're finished?"

"Finished?"

"Finished with all the stuff you said you had to do before you could start teaching me."

"Teaching?"

"Teaching!" Kaede clenched her fists, glaring. "Like you said you would!"

Suriya's smile vanished, as she raised her hands. "Easy, Kaede-kun. I was just teasing you."

"Well, I didn't like it! You _said_ you were going to teach me, when you finished redoing all the wards and stuff! And I'm tired of just sitting around and _waiting_!"

Suriya looked away for a moment, then met the angry, one-eyed gaze. "I'm sorry, Kaede-kun. I wasn't trying to upset you." Kaede's glare was unrelenting, and the miko looked away again. "I always wanted a little sister..." she whispered.

"I'm not your sister."

"I know." Silence, until Suriya sighed.

"There's one more thing I want to check tomorrow, and I want you with me, Kaede."

The girl blinked, then fixed Suriya with a doubting stare. "Really? What?"

"I want to see that hanyo Kikyo sealed."

Kaede stiffened. "Inuyasha? Why do you want to see Inuyasha?"

"It has a name?"

"Of course, he has a name! You don't think Kikyo ane-sama would—"

Kaede shut her mouth, flushing, mad at herself. She faced away from the fire pit, and said not another word.

* * *

**Author's Note:** This drabble was written for the prompt "Meaningful", for the LiveJournal community Inuyasha's FanFiction Contest. It was originally posted on July 26, 2011. (10/19/2011)


	17. Almost a Good Morning

**__****Disclaimer:**_ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied. _

* * *

**Almost A Good Morning**

Morning started slowly. Chagrined, Kaede found herself having overslept again. Suriya said nothing, only giving her a bowl of miso and rice, and a cheerful greeting. The dish was far too salty, but Kaede also said nothing. Fair was fair, after all.

She felt happy when Suriya bade her to bring along her bow and quiver. It just felt right, to sling the quiver over her shoulder, to carefully check the bowstrings, before setting one on the bow and storing the other in a sleeve pocket. She watched as Suriya checked the edged steel of her weapon, and wondered what it would be like to use a naginata instead of a bow.

She'd rather not fight that close in, she decided.

They stepped outside into a clear, brisk morning, and her spirits rose further. She was going to see Inuyasha again, though she'd have to be careful and not say anything. And Suriya was about ready to start teaching her. It wasn't going to fun; of course-Suriya, as teacher? But, she'd do her best to learn, because she wanted to, and it also meant things were finally going back to normal-well, as normal as things could be, with Kikyo dead.

Pain stabbed; happiness vanished. And before she could draw a single balancing breath, to stop the burning in her eyes and tightness in her throat, Hajime strolled around the corner of the nearest hut.

_Not him! Go away!_

He didn't, of course.

* * *

**Author's Note:** This piece was written for the Inuyasha FanFiction Community, for the prompt "Around the Corner." It was originally posted on August 1, 2011. (10/19/2011)


	18. The Listener

**__****Disclaimer:**_ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied. _

* * *

**The Listener**

Kaede stopped, as she saw Hijime, then edged closer to Suriya as the miko greeted the headman's youngest son.

"Good morning to you, oh fairest damsel," he said lightly, giving a slight bow. "And where are you going, this fine morning?"

_Oh, ick! He said the same stupid stuff to Kikyo!_

"We're going to check the sealing on the hanyo," said Suriya.

"May I walk with you, miko-sama?" he asked.

_Please say no!_

"Certainly, Hajime-san." There was a warm smile in her voice. "To the forest edge, at least. I've been wanting to talk with you."

_No!_

"What about, if I may ask?" The two adults started strolling down the path, a silent and fuming Kaede trailing behind.

"I understand you lost part of your right hand in a training accident."

_Stupid, __clumsy __toad!_

"What about it?" He asked defensively, clutching his maimed hand to his chest.

"I trained with both katana and naginata, before my lord sent me to the temple. I have some ideas that might help. Also, with your permission, I would write my father asking him to speak with the arms master, for suggestions."

Hajime stopped short, forcing Kaede to do as well. "You would do that, for me?"

_Only 'cause she doesn't know how nasty you are._

"Of course, Hajime-san. No one can return your hand to full use, but you might still be able to master a weapon."

"Miko-sama, if you do that, I will forever be in your debt!"

_Until she does something you don't like._

"Thank me when you've proven your weapon," she said. "Now, why don't you tell me about your training?"

And so it went. Kaede kept her anger behind her teeth, acutely aware of the glances as they walked through the village.

Her day was totally ruined.

* * *

**Author's Note:** This piece was written for the prompt "Damsel", for the LiveJournal community Inuyasha's Unsung Heroes. It was originally posted on August 2, 2011. (10/19/2011)


	19. A Little Bit of Doubt

**__****Disclaimer:**_ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied. _

* * *

**A Little Bit of Doubt**

They walked past the last weedy patch where a hut had burned down, with Suriya and Hajime still talking.

They continued to walk past the poles marking the edge of the village wards, and still Suriya and Hajime were talking.

They were under the canopy of the first of the mature trees in what was already being referred to as "Inuyasha's forest", and still they were talking.

Kaede bore her annoyance as long as she could. "I thought he was only coming to the edge of the forest," she interrupted.

Hajime and Suriya both turned. "I didn't hear Suriya-sama asking me to turn back," he said silkily. "Did you?"

She glowered. "I consider her interruption rude," said Suriya, giving Kaede a glance, "but we are past the wards, and I can definitely feel youkai about." She shifted her grip on her naginata. "Since you are unarmed, Hajime-san, it would be wiser to you to return."

"But, it is safe enough to take a child."

"Kaede is not a 'child,'" corrected Suriya. "She has her bow, and knows the where the hanyo is sealed."

He snorted. "Father did tell you she tried to keep the men from taking that thing down and killing it?"

"They would have failed, Hajime-san. Someone could have been hurt in the effort: she was wise to intervene."

"Wise?" His sneer was obvious. "She defends a killer, and you think she's 'wise'?"

"I wasn't defending him!" snapped Kaede. "Kikyo-ane-sama sealed him for her own reasons, and I was just telling everyone, they should just leave!"

"Yeah, and why did she seal him instead of kill him?" he jeered. "Too soft-hearted to kill her lover, even after he'd betrayed her?"

"They weren't lovers!"

"Oh? She sure acted like a lover when she saw him fall from the tree, that time."

"They were friends!"

"Friends?" he sneered. "With a hanyo?"

"Yes!" Kaede glared up at him. "Inuyasha may be half youkai, but he's half-human, too! I don't understand why he turned on Kikyo, but before then, he was good! He worked with Kikyo! He saved her life!"

"Good?" he scoffed. "You're crazy, little girl!"

"He was a better man than you are!"

"You little—bitch!" He stepped forward, face flushing red. "I—"

The naginata snapped down between them. "Enough, both of you," command Suriya. "Hajime-san, please leave."

"Not before I give that little bitch the back of my hand—"

"Hajime." Suriya's voice was cold. "Kaede is my responsibility. Go."

He glared, but the staring match was short. Snarling, Hajime stalked away.

Hands fisted, Kaede stared at the ground. She wasn't crazy! She didn't know why Inuyasha had turned on Kikyo. She knew she should hate him. Yet one little part remembered his good deeds, remembered how he'd saved her life—that little part doubted: it didn't believe what everyone else knew! Maybe that bit of her was a little crazy, but she didn't care!

* * *

**Author's Note:** This was written for the I-B-4-Y LiveJournal community, for the prompt "You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it." The original was posted on October 5, 2011. It took first place. (10/23/2011)


	20. The First Lesson

**__****Disclaimer:**_ This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied. _

* * *

**First Lesson**

The silence was grim and heavy, as young Kaede led the way to the sacred tree. The white hair and red clothing of the pinioned hanyo was bright in the shade provided by the tall tree. Kaede stopped a good two lengths from the tree, and nodded at the hanyo, her hands consciously down at her side.

"That's Inuyasha."

Suriya stepped forward, her naginata at guard position. She slowly walked around the tree, murmuring to herself, shifting the weapon's position from time to time. Twice, Kaede saw a momentary flash of pink surrounding the hanyo, as Suriya tested the spell. "The only person who could break this spell is Kikyo herself," the miko commented. "And she cast this while dying, herself? Amazing."

Kaede bit back the temptation to make a comparison between Kikyo and her one-time rival. She was in trouble enough already: there wasn't an adult in the village who wouldn't consider such a comparison as rude, and completely out of bounds.

Suriya bent a little, to get a better look at the hanyo's face. "He'd be a handsome boy, if it weren't for the ears and the hair," she said, straightening.

He was handsome _with_ the ears and the hair, in Kaede's unspoken opinion.

"Most stories about hanyo; they're ugly: mis-shaped, warped in body as well as mind. And, you say that Kikyo was friends with this hanyo?"

Kaede clenched her hands as Suriya looked at her. "Yes," she said shortly.

Black eyes studied her. "How did they ever manage to become friends?" the young woman wondered. "From what I thought I knew of Kikyo, I would never have guessed she'd let anything with youkai blood get within arrow-shot of her. But, I was obviously wrong."

Kaede remained silent, feeling sullen and stubborn. It wasn't any of Suriya's business!

"And I'm not going to get my curiosity satisfied by you," the miko said after a considerable silence. Kaede looked away, but still refused to answer. When she did look back, Suriya was once more circling the tree. As she passed near Inuyasha, Kaede saw Suriya start to raise her hand, hesitate, and then shake her head.

"Well, I don't think we have to worry about him," she said, leaning the bladed staff against her shoulder. "Thank-you for showing me the way, Kaede-chan."

Kaede nodded, but said nothing.

"So, is there a good place we could sit and talk? I'm not minded to return to the village, just yet."

Trying not to show her apprehension, the girl thought a moment, resisting the temptation to suggest this exact spot. She didn't want to explain why she couldn't seem to hate Inuyasha for killing her sister: why a little part of her even doubted that he had killed her. "Has anyone shown you the Bone-Eater's Well?"

"The 'Bone-Eater's Well'?" the miko echoed. "That sounds rather macabre."

"It's a weird well," said Kaede. "It's dry, and if you toss youkai remains down, after a little bit, they vanish."

"Youkai remains generally disintegrate faster than mortal remains," noted Suriya.

"Not always, 'specially the bones." Kaede gave Suriya a mulish look.

After a moment, Suriya nodded. "All right, I'll take a look at this well. Lead the way, Kaede-chan."

_Couldn't she just keep it to 'Kaede'?_

... ... ...

Suriya examined the well, listened to Kaede's fuller explanation, and then shook her head. "You want to talk here?" she said dubiously. "It's neither reiki nor youki, yet there is something emanating from the well."

Kaede shrugged, secretly pleased that she had made the new miko uncomfortable. She wasn't going to admit that the well made her skin want to itch, or that it occasionally made her think of really weird things. Just to show how unbothered she was, she leaned her bow against the well, and seated herself on a corner, dangling her feet above the well itself. Suriya gave her a look, then turned a circle. Wearing an expression of distaste, she eventually lay her naginata across the opposite corner of the well, and took a turn around the well. By the time she faced Kaede again, she had regained control over her expression; yet it was clear to Kaede, that the young woman was not comfortable.

She did not seat herself. Instead, standing in the shade provided by the trees in the early morning, arms crossed, Suriya gave Kaede a very long look.

"You have said that you want to be a miko, and I have agreed to teach you. I've repaired the damage and wear to the village wards, done my best to ensure the village's safety: now I have time to teach. You haven't changed your mind?"

Kaede shook her head, brightening. Finally!

"Good." Suriya gave her another look. "So. Let's discuss the first lesson."

"What is it?" asked Kaede, eagerly.

A thin smile was a warning. "The first lesson is about not being rude."

Kaede jerked in surprise, grabbing the wood to keep her balance. The next moment, she reddened in embarrassment. "He started it!" she blurted.

"A miko serves her people," said Suriya. "She must be pure in heart, pure in body, pure in tongue and action. Only then, will the kami bless her activities." She paused. "I'm sure you must have heard that quote at least once.

Kaede ducked her head. "Master Masayoshi," she muttered. The elderly head of the temple where Kikyo had trained, and where Kaede had lived for almost two years, had had a distinct liking for voicing little homilies for every little problem: and that had been one of his favorites. "It's not fair," she added sullenly. "Nobody can be that pure. Not even Kikyo-ane-sama."

"That's very true, Kaede," said Suriya. "But, does that mean we should not pursue perfection, just because we know we'll fail? When I wanted to follow the way of the samurai, I knew I couldn't be perfect: when my lord required that I give up that path, and use my inborn gifts as a miko, the honor of my family, to me, demanded that I must make the same effort to reach a miko's ideal."

"It's still not fair."

"What does 'fair' have to do with it?" asked Suriya. "You want to be a miko, you say: doesn't your honor, your pride, demand that you strive to be the best miko you can be? To come as close to the ideal as possible? Would Kikyo have approved of your behavior this morning?"

Kaede shrank away, fingers digging into the wood, her eyes abruptly stinging and her breath caught in her throat. No fair, no fair, no fair! wailed a sulky voice within, and yet even as it wailed, she knew the question was fair, because it was deserved. Because she knew the answer, and it wasn't 'yes.'

"No," she finally managed to whisper, feeling shamed, feeling hurt, wanting nothing more than to have Kikyo standing there, ready to comfort her and forgive her.

Cloth rustled, as Suriya seated herself on the well. "Kaede, I can't imagine how much you must still hurt, at losing your sister, losing all of your family. Satsuki-san has told me how hard you worked at taking your sister's place, how brave and determined you were. Perhaps the temper you've been showing is just all the emotion you must have kept tamped down, until now, when it's safe to be a little girl again."

She felt Suriya leaning in, and looked away, but a calloused hand gently touched her jaw and made her look up; red face, stinging eyes, and all. "Kaede, if you still need time to mourn Kikyo, I understand. But, you can't let your pain turn to anger and rudeness. It doesn't respect her memory, it doesn't respect what she would want for you, from you. If you want to cry, in the hut, or out here, away from the village, feel free. If you want to talk about Kikyo, with me, with anyone you feel you can trust, do so. If there's no one you can trust, go talk to Kikyo's spirit at her grave marker. All right?"

Kaede stared at Suriya, aching and helpless, resentful and angry, wanting to scream and run away, wanting to throw herself down on the grass and howl. Kikyo would be so ashamed of her! But, she wasn't here: would never be here, no lovely smile, just for her, no secret hugs in the night, no laughing eyes in private: gone, burned to ash, buried: gone.

"It ... hurts..."

The hand left her face. Through blurring vision, she saw Suriya nod, saw her hands, outstretched, offering.

"Let me help?"

She didn't want it. She didn't want to give in to this woman whom she remembered as Kikyo's rival. But, she hurt so much. She needed her sister so badly. And no one else had offered. No one else had thought to offer. She was so lonely, so hurting...

Kaede pulled her legs out of the well, half intending to get up and run away. She didn't want-

But need betrayed her. She couldn't look away from Suriya's now-compassionate expression and open arms, and an offer perhaps no heart-lost child could resist.

She lunged into Suriya's arms, felt them wrap firmly and warmly about her, and broke into sobs.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Yes, Kaede finally gives into Suriya's approaches. (stubborn kid-wasn't sure she was going to do it this time, either). This chapter was written for the Inuyasha FanFiction Contest community on LiveJournal, for the prompt, "Out of Order." It was originally posted on October 10, 2011. It won first place. (10/23/2011).


	21. Teach

_**Disclaimer:** This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

* * *

**Teach**

Exhausted from crying, Kaede was content to remain within the strong, warm arms about her.

Until she remembered who was holding her.

Embarrassed, she wriggled away, blushing. "Sorry," she muttered. "Didn't mean—"

A hand gently gripped her shoulder. "I offered," replied Suriya. "How are you feeling?"

Kaede wiped her cheeks off with her hand. "Okay," she muttered.

"I was wondering if you wanted to return to the village, or stay out here. I did bring food."

She didn't really want to go back. Not when it meant that she'd have to apologize to that nasty Hajime.

"Stay."

"I'm glad." Behind her, she heard the miko rising. "Shall we find a creek? Since this well is dry?"

Kaede assented, scrambling to her feet, avoiding looking at Suriya as she edged into the lead. "Are you going to teach me today, for real?" she asked presently.

"Being polite is a lesson, Kaede," Suriya replied drily. Then, her voice softened. "Actually..."

Kaede waited forever for her to continue, then, impatient, asked, "What?"

"Would you be willing to teach me about herbs?"

Complete stop, turn, stare upwards. "What! You don't know?"

Was Suriya really trying to suppress a grin?

"I fear I annoyed the teacher at the temple," Suriya said. "I thought that sort of learning was for peasants and medicine-sellers. Why did I need to know?" Kaede started to glare, but the miko continued. "I was wrong."

Kaede rocked back on her heels. The Suriya she remembered didn't ever admit being wrong! "Why'd you change your mind?"

"Experience." Not helpful. "I think I should at least learn how to make a good cup of willow bark tea. Please?"

Kaede stared up at the woman who was now smiling, eyes twinkling, disbelieving. Suriya wanted to learn, from her?

She thought about it. "Okay."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Whoops! I thought I'd posted this in weeks ago! Guess not! Sorry about the wait: there should be another in a couple of weeks (writing it today, but it'll be a couple of weeks before the contest is finished and I can post it here.) This drabble was originally posted on October 19th, 2011, on the LiveJournal community "Inuyasha's Unsung Heroes", for the prompt 'Learn.' It took first place. (12/31/2011)


	22. Flowers for Kikyo

_**Disclaimer:** This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

* * *

**Flowers for Kikyo**

Kaede had agreed to teach Suriya about herbs, but she wasn't sure how to start. "Um, do I start now?"

Suriya smiled. "Are there any herbs that need to be collected? Or, maybe you just point out herbs as we go to the creek, and explain what they are and what they're used for?"

The girl nodded. "And how to tell them apart," she added. "There's lots of plants that look alike, and you can get into trouble if you're not careful."

"Really? See? Something learned already?" Suriya laughed. "Lead on, Kaede-chan."

It was neither the best time or year or time of day for most herbs, but there were seeds and roots that could be gathered. Kaede dithered, but decided not to try gathering. She wasn't ready to guess what herbs Amaya, the old herbalist, would want to have.

So, they wandered at no particular speed towards the closest trickle of water, Kaede keeping alert. Twice, she stopped, once to gather a seed head, and once to pick two plants that one first appearance, were very similar. As they approached the water, her eye was caught by a patch of blue and purple.

She froze in sudden memory.

"Kaede?"

"It's—it's been about a year," she whispered. "I-I was looking for bellflowers, when a centipede demon tried to kidnap me. He saved me…"

"He?"

"Inuyasha." It hurt, remembering. He'd looked so heroic, but acted so oddly.

"Those are Kikyo's namesakes, aren't they?"

She nodded, trembling. No, she wouldn't cry!

A hand touched her shoulder. "Shall we pick some, and take them to Kikyo's grave?"

She'd been avoiding the grave, not wanting to remember. But, she felt shame at that; to be neglectful of her sister's spirit…"

"O-okay."

* * *

**Author's Note:** This piece was written for the "Inuyasha's Unsung Heroes" community on LiveJournal, for the prompt "Teach." It was originally posted on December 31st, 2011. It took first place. (2/25/2012)


	23. Gifts

_**Disclaimer:** This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

* * *

**Gifts**

Dusk was descending as they walked down the stairs from Kikyo's grave. At the bottom of the stairs, a boy, one of headman Yasuo's nephews, was dancing in place. "Miko-sama, Kaede," he called when they were barely halfway down. "Oji told me to tell you, that he wants you over for supper!"

"Oji?" Kaede heard Suriya whisper under her breath.

"Yasuo-dono," Kaede whispered back, not surprised at Suriya's lack of recognition, once she realized that the new miko had been too busy since her arrival to meet everyone, especially most of the youngsters. "That's Kurokei."

"Ah." Raising her voice, Suriya called back. "Thank-you for telling us, Kurokei-kun. Will you please go back and inform your uncle, that we will be there when we have cleaned up."

He responded with a grin and a quick bow. "Sure! See ya!" He took off at a run.

Kaede tried not to sigh or grimace. She was not going to look forward to dinner at the headman's hut. She just knew that the occasion was going to involve an apology on her part, to that sneering, full-of-himself, Hajime. The evening was going to be horrible. And there was no way she'd be able to avoid it!

Suriya kept an eye on her as she scrubbed her face and hands and feet with a rag and sliver of soap, and then insisted on Kaede wearing her other—and heavier—kimono. Kaede argued, but Suriya pointed out the dirt and grass-stains on the one she'd been wearing. Kaede gave in to that, and also donned the stockings Suriya had purchased for her. The miko also scrubbed and changed, moving faster than the girl. She caught up a comb, and before Kaede could guess what she was going to do, had pulled out Kaede's hair-tie, and was combing her hair.

Kaede tensed and didn't move. It was unexpected, and uncomfortable. It reminded her that she and Kikyo had routinely combed each other's hair, especially in the evenings. She wasn't sure she ever wanted anyone else touching her hair, but what could she do?

She wasn't going to act like a spoiled baby.

… … …

There were more than a few villagers lingering in the vicinity as Suriya and herself approached the headman's house. Kaede did her best to keep her face still as she felt the eyes following her and the miko. What was going on? It wasn't the first time that they had eaten at Yasuo's, though it was the first time that the headman had explicitly invited them.

Yasuo was waiting for them on the porch of his house. He bowed as they stepped up. "Thank-you for coming, Kaede-chan, Suriya-sama."

They bowed in return. "Your invitation honors us, Yasuo-dono," replied Suriya.

"The honor is mine, Suriya-sama." Yasuo turned his attention to the girl. "Kaede-chan, I asked you and your teacher for dinner, that I may give you my personal thanks for all you have tried to do this past summer. I am confident that your sister is very proud of you. Please accept the gratitude of myself, and all the village, Kaede-dono."

He bowed, as Kaede's mouth dropped open. This was the last thing she had expected. The headman had mentioned his appreciation before, but doing it in such a formal manner, and in front of an audience? She was only, only—

Fingers tapped her shoulder, recalling herself. Snapping her mouth shut, Kaede bowed in return as Yasuo straightened. "I am, um, honored that my, ah, efforts have, um, are appreciated," she managed to stammer. "Yasuo-dono."

He smiled at her as she looked up, his eyes twinkling. "Shall we go inside?" he asked. "Satsuki has been working much of the afternoon; we should go enjoy her efforts."

Kaede followed the headman inside, followed by Suriya. Almost immediately she stopped dead, when she saw who awaited them.

Hajime!

Like his father, Hajime was dressed in clean clothes a distinct cut above every day attire, and he had obviously taken pains at his grooming. Kaede's stomach twisted, but she could not help but notice that he looked distinctly uncomfortable.

He met her eyes briefly, not without dislike, but then, to her surprise, he bowed. "Kaede-san," he said. "Please accept my apologies for this morning. I was rude, and spoke ill of the honored Kikyo-sama, your sister. My behavior was inappropriate, and I am—sorry."

Kaede felt stunned. Hajime, apologizing? She bobbed a bow in return. "I accept your apology, Hajime-san," she said. Sheer numbness allowed her to sweep into the next step, for which she'd been trying to mentally prepare herself since morning. "I apologize, too. I was also rude. Please accept my apology."

"I accept," he said curtly, before turning and apologizing to the miko. Bows exchanged, and the apology accepted, Yasuo brought the attention back to himself with a clap of his hands.

"Shall we see what Satsuki-san has prepared for us?"

… … …

Kaede was relieved when the adults made no effort to require her to join in the conversation over the meal. She concentrated on her manners, her stomach refusing to unclench enough for her to really appreciate the food, though it was very good. She kept one ear on the conversation, but it was mostly news about the latest mechanizations of the neighboring lords against each other.

Good food or not, she was secretly relieved when the dishes were cleared away. She wanted to leave, to get away, to forget about being formally thanked for what she couldn't help feel was a series of failures on her part. She was only a kid; why should a headman be thanking her and taking meal with her? It didn't feel right.

The other members of the family left, leaving only Yasuo and Suriya seated, along with Kaede. Yasuo turned his attention to the girl and smiled. "I've made you spend a rather uncomfortable evening, haven't I, Kaede-chan?" he asked.

She blinked, and then nodded. "I regret making you uncomfortable, Kaede, but I do want you to understand that I deeply appreciate your efforts, and I did not want those efforts to go unnoticed or unappreciated. And by the village, as well as myself. Losing your sister—the last of your family—and then striving to take her place: you honored Kikyo-sama and us, just by your effort. And I do not want your effort forgotten."

She gave him a slow nod, though she didn't understand.

"In a few years, when Suriya finishes her training, you will be a miko. I hope that you will be our miko."

Kaede nodded, firmly this time. She could not imagine leaving the village where her sister was buried, or leaving Inuyasha's sealed body unprotected.

Yasuo's wife returned to the room, carrying a bundle, which she set down beside Kaede. "For the memory of what we owe your sister, for my gratitude for your efforts, and for hope in a brighter future, please accept these gifts from myself and Satsuki."

Kneeling beside her, Satsuki undid the knot of the cloth containing the bundle. She pulled the unbleached cotton back, and Kaede's eyes widened. Lengths of white and red were neatly folded, the colors of a miko's outfit. Neat rolls of white leather and white ribbons were balanced on top, along with spools of matching thread.

"Will you accept our gift, little on one?" Satsuki put an arm across Kaede's shoulders as she murmured. "You are still young, but you have chosen to become a miko. And when you are ready to take on those duties, it would be our honor and our joy, for us to supply you with the clothes of your rank."

Kaede stared up at her, a knot in her heart releasing. Someone did think she could be a miko, didn't look down on her failures of the summer. Someone was willing to give her what she would need, without her having to earn it, to prove herself to them. They—believed in her.

She stumbled through her thanks, and dissolved in grateful tears.

* * *

**Author's Note: **This was written for the quote prompt **"**It is well to give when asked, but it is better to give unasked, through understanding." by Kahlil Gibran. It was posted on the LiveJournal community on February 25, 2012. It took second place. (12/26/2012)


	24. Respect

_**Disclaimer:** This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

* * *

**Respect**

She overslept. An annoyed Kaede bolted down leftover miso and rice, then went looking for Suriya. Several questions, directions, and ignored hints later, she followed the crack of wood on wood to the meadow above the village. Hiding, she watched as Suriya and Hajime sparred.

He yelped, dropping his staff. "Damn it, woman! I'll be black and blue at this rate!"

"Bruises are the best teacher, Hajime-san. Keep to the pattern, and you won't be hit."

"But, I know the basics!"

"You must forget what you've learned, to discover what works now. Again. One. Two..."

Fascinated and amused, Kaede watched as practice continued. Hajime's face sweated and reddened; Suriya's voice remained cool and precise. He broke the pattern again. Suriya sent his staff flying, and the return swing slammed into his leg.

"Bitch!" He charged, then halted with her staff's end at his throat.

"The student whom disrespects his teacher cannot learn. You are dismissed, Hajime."

He blustered, snarled and eventually, stormed away. Suriya watched him go.

"You can come out now, Kaede."

Eep!

Kaede sidled into the open. Suriya approached, expression cool, and just a bit disapproving.

"I hope Hajime does not learn you were watching, Kaede."

Kaede opened her mouth to retort that she didn't care what Hajime learned.

Then, she hesitated. The student whom disrespects his teacher cannot learn. She looked away, pinking a little. After a moment of struggle, she peeked up through her bangs.

"I'm sorry, sensei."

Suriya beamed.

Kaede relaxed, and felt good.

* * *

**Author's Note: **This piece was written for the prompt "Black & Blue" for the LiveJournal community Issekiwa. It was originally posted on March 29, 2012. It took 3rd place. (12/26/2012)


	25. Trust

_**Disclaimer:** This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

* * *

**Trust**

It felt surprisingly good to know that Suriya was pleased with her, Kaede realized, as she and Suriya started back towards the village.

"Amaya baa-chan asked me have you dig for ginseng this afternoon."

Kaede bristled. "She could've told me! I've been gathering all summer for her!"

"Since I am your teacher, and responsible for you, people are going to come to me now," Suriya pointed out.

Kaede prudently stomped on her temper, remaining quiet, though beginning to wonder which was going to be worse: being expected to step into Kikyo's sandals, or be treated like a kid again.

They were into the trees when Suriya spoke again. "Kaede, do I have your word, that you will not talk about what you saw, between me and Hajime?"

"I... suppose," Kaede said slowly. "Why?"

Suriya stopped and turned. "It's always prudent to avoid doing or saying things that would make enemies. More importantly, a miko needs to be trusted by the people she serves. Because of her closeness to the spiritual world, people will come to her. She will learn many things in confidence, some of which, if made known, could tear a village apart. A good miko will never want that. Do you understand?"

Kaede considered. "If I told someone how rude Hajime was to you..."

"It would embarrass him, make him angry at you, and lessen the chance that he will come to accept his situation, and be truly willing to work on finding another path."

Kaede puzzled over those words, not quite understanding, then dismissed her puzzlement with a sigh. "I won't tell on Hajime," she promised, before wrinkling her nose. "But, I still don't like him."

Suriya almost laughed, eyes sparkling. "Liking everyone is not required of a miko," she said, voice amused. "Just be discrete..."

* * *

**Author's Note:** This was written for the prompt "Prudent" for the LiveJournal community "Inuyasha's Unsung Heroes." It was originally published on April 8, 2012. It won first place. (12/26/2012)


	26. Training Time

_**Disclaimer:** This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

* * *

**Training Time**

Though she'd promised Suriya not to talk about Hajime's training, Kaede really wanted to watch them. After all, she liked the idea of seeing that nasty man get hit by Suriya.

However, as she discovered the next morning, Suriya had apparently guessed her desire and plotted to thwart her. They were just finishing breakfast when someone knocked on the door frame. When Suriya invited the guest to enter, Kaede was surprised to see Takumi, a middle-aged man whom she knew little about, save that he seemed the be the man who called out most of the orders during a youkai attack.

And he was carrying a bow.

"Good morning, Suriya-sama, Kaede-kun," the short, rather stocky man said briskly. "The headman tells me you've asked to have someone work with Kaede on her archery."

Suriya nodded. "I have little skill with a bow, and Kaede needs someone to train her."

"But, he can't show me how to spell my arrows!"

"Kaede!" Suriya frowned at her. Kaede flushed and looked away.

"Sorry." A mutter.

Suriya sighed. "Kaede, hitting your target and transferring your power to the arrow are two different skills. I can teach the one, but not the other. And it should be easier to learn one skill at a time. I was proficient with the naginata before I went to the temple."

Kaede tried not to pout. "And you want Takumi to teach me, while you're off working with Hajime."

"Of course. It's the most logical time."

Drat!

Kaede told herself not to sulk; it was hardly worthy of a miko. And Suriya was right—she did need to work on her archery skill. Still, she couldn't quite make herself look at Suriya as she answered. "Yes, Suriya-sensei."

* * *

**Author's Note:** This was written for the prompt 'Plot' for the LiveJournal community "Inuyasha's Unsung Heroes." It was originally posted on July 16, 2012. It won first place.


	27. To Achieve A Goal

_**Disclaimer:** This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

* * *

**To Achieve A Goal**

Kaede had practiced diligently with her bow over the entire summer—at least, when she wasn't busy trying to fill Kikyo's sandals. Those few times she let her mind wander, her thoughts had invariably drifted into daydreams where she had demonstrated that she could match her sister in at least one way. She knew she'd never match Kikyo's beauty, or spiritual strength, or cleverness. But, she could imagine herself matching Kikyo's skill with a bow.

Her efforts had not led to any noticeable improvement.

But, no imagining had ever envisioned having her get lessons from a villager.

"Here we are," Takumi said, his deep voice cheerful. Kaede peered up at him. He smiled at her, then turned serious. "Question, Kaede-sama." Startled by the title, she stared, then nodded. "What do you want to achieve, with the bow?"

"I want to be as good as my sister was," she replied promptly.

"You realize that is going to be a hard goal."

She bristled. "I can learn!"

Takumi crouched. Reaching out, he gently touched the scarred side of her face. "Kaede, your loss of an eye makes it harder for you to judge distance; harder to aim accurately. Like Hajime, you will have to work much harder, to achieve success. Are you willing to work that much harder?"

Like Hajime? For a moment, she could only stare at him, indignant. She was nothing like Hajime!

Then, the rest of what he said sank in. She knew that her loss had given her problems, especially when something moved on her blind side. But, was that why she had failed to improve over the summer? Was she going to be unable to match her sister in anything?

No! Kaede firmed her shoulders. "Yes. I'll work really hard. What do I do?"

He smiled.

* * *

**Author's Note: **This was written for the prompt 'Daydream' for the LiveJournal community "Inuyasha's Unsung Heroes." It was originally posted on July 27, 2012. It took second place. (12/26/2012)


	28. Raising Strength

_**Disclaimer:** This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied._

* * *

**Raising Strength**

Takumi tested the pull of Kaede's bow, then had her attempt to draw the bow he'd brought with him. He then declared that teaching her to aim was secondary to increasing her strength.

She didn't argue.

He roused her early, and led her out to do chores that she'd mostly never been required to do, as miko apprentice or miko stand-in. Carrying water, hauling wood. By breakfast time, she ached.

She said nothing. Even when, the next morning, Kaede could barely raise her arms above her head.

Takumi noticed, and was sympathetic but unyielding. If you're going to be a miko who fights youkai, you need to think as a warrior, he said. A warrior is always training, always working to keep the body strong and whole.

Kaede nodded, gritted her teeth, and persevered.

Chores became easier. Then, Suriya and Takumi presented her with a wooden staff, and Suriya started taking her through training katas for the naginata in the late afternoons.

Kaede couldn't see how learning those moves would help with the bow, but she remembered her promise, and accepted the additional work without arguing.

She slept very soundly.

Some weeks later, Takumi presented her with the bow that she'd barely been able to bend before. She took the bow with a dubious expression and tried to draw it.

It bent easily in her hands. Takumi laughed at her startled expression. "See? I knew you'd get stronger. Ready to start the real work?"

Kaede smiled and nodded.

* * *

**Author's Note: **This was written for the prompt 'Raise or Raze' for the LiveJournal community Issekiwa. It was originally published on August 30, 2012. It took second place. (12/26/2012)

This is the end of updates for this serial for 2012. With some 6 more days off work, I hope to sit down and plot out where this story is going - particularly Hajime's part in this story. I may even get one or two stories written and posted to the appropriate LiveJournal community, but they won't be posted here before the first week of February. I hope you have at least enjoyed the six new chapters, and one resolution for 2013 is to not get any LiveJournal entries posted to this site within a week of the ending of the contest voting.


End file.
